Pairing wine with holiday food

BILL ZACHARKIW, The Gazette12.08.2008

SWIRL AWAY: Gazette wine critic Bill Zacharkiw at Montréal Passion Vin last Friday. The two-day event attracted about 70 sommeliers keen to work for free - they were there to taste. He's swirling a 1953 Vega Sicilia, which sells for more than $1,200 a bottle. The verdict? Extraordinary.

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I can tell it's the holiday season just from all the emails I have been receiving, asking for advice as to what to serve at Christmas or Hanukkah meals.

Cool. While I do very much love wine, I'm a foodie at heart. I think any sommelier worth his or her weight in great-vintage Burgundy enjoys not only the challenge of putting together great food pairings, but just loves hearing about what people like to eat. Especially during this season, when the focus is often the dinner table, when traditional foods and family customs play an even more important role.

For my family, everything happens on Christmas Day. We get together at my parents' place - my sister is there from Toronto, along with my brother and his family. And I already know what's on the menu. I don't think it has changed since I was born.

You might have noticed my last name is rather exotic. I am Ukrainian, and while I don't speak the language, my mom has continued to cook our traditional foods. So while she does the classic roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce, she also cooks holubtsi (cabbage rolls), kovbasa (pork-based garlic and spiced smoked sausage) and na patychky (a kebab-type pork and veal skewer that translates directly as meat on a stick).

Since Ukraine and the rest of the Eastern European countries are better known for their vodka than wine, when I choose what we drink for Christmas Day, I am not encumbered by supporting my native wine culture.

I tend to empty my cellar of some of my better, classic bottles: a Champagne or two for the morning or inexpensive mousseux for family members who still insist, much to my dismay, on adding orange juice to it.

Afternoons are spent sipping slightly sweet German Kabinett riesling, or perhaps my dad's most expensive single-malt whiskey, and a Burgundy or some other aged Bordeaux or Rhône for dinner. Some years, our neighbour Phil comes over with a Californian cabernet, and I get to argue about wine for a while. I can't wait.

But this is me.

I want to know what you are serving and what your traditional foods are. Whether it's Greek, Italian, Chilean, Québécois or vegan, send your menu and your budget to me through

montrealgazette.com/wine. As my Christmas present to you, I'll take care of the wine pairings, and I will feature a couple of those menus in my column on Dec. 13.

Thematic Christmas boozing

I was going to tackle the traditional Western Christmas meal for the rest of this column - the roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mushroom gravy. But to be perfectly honest, there is a plethora of options. So in the spirit of mixing things up a bit, I have decided to build the pairings around the wines of specific countries, using some of the best wines I have tasted over the last couple of months.

Call it a two-for-one, an opportunity for you to investigate the wines of a particular country while I do my first "best of" list for the soon-to-be finished 2008.

But first, a little bit of the theory behind matching wine to the big bird.

Turkey, much like chicken, tends to get its flavour more from what it is served with than from itself. Because it is low in fat, it can get a bit dry when roasted. So it makes sense that we don't want wines that are too dry. This means I tend not to serve tannic, mouth-drying wines. Your favourite Bordeaux and Californian cabernet sauvignon aren't necessarily ruled out; just make sure they have a bit of age on them if you want to taste the food.

Cranberry sauce tends to be the condiment of choice with turkey, and it brings not only a lot of powerful fruit flavours to the meal, but also a certain amount of acidity and sweetness. This means wines with similarly bright fruit and with good acidities are the ideal choices. Stuffings tend to bring a little bit of fat, as they are often made with lots of butter or meat or even foie gras. So the richer your stuffing is, the more tannin you can have in your wine.

The wine menu

Both white and red wine can be served at the table. But unless global warming comes through as promised, it's going to be cold outside, and most people probably will drink red wine. Still, for my little viticultural turkey trip, I will offer both white and red, plus a bubbly wine and an apéritif white. I have tried to keep the average price under $20.

Back and forth in North America

Bubbly: Blanc de Noirs, Carneros, Domaine Chandon, California mousseux, $23.95, SAQ # 100693. Subtle pink colour and juicy red fruits make it drink like a rosé. Hint of sweetness on the end palate gives this wine exceptional amplitude, and lots of finesse on the bubbles.

Meal white: Gewürztraminer 2006, St-Davids Bench, Château des Charmes, Niagara, Canada white, $19.95, SAQ # 10745479. Just a hint of sweetness, but loaded with lychees and exotic spice notes like cumin. A bit out of the ordinary, but works wonders with a spiced-up stuffing.

A unique chardonnay-dominated blend. Gentle aromatically - browning apples, almonds, brown sugar, with just a hint of dried flowers. A touch of nuts and grapefruit on the finish.

Southern France on a budget

Bubbly: Crémant de Limoux 2006, Cuvée Expression, Antech, France mousseux, $20.15, SAQ # 10666084. Notes of fresh toast, fresh apple and a hint of peach. This full-bodied and very wine-like bubbly combines flavour with a ton of finesse for its price. Would work well with a meal or as an apéritif.

# 10507278. More succulent southern fruit from one of the better bio-dynamic producers in the south. Just enough tannin to give it some length. This is a wine for the boisterous family gathering - easy drinking, not complicated, but authentic.

Inexpensive Spain

Bubbly: Cava 2002, Brut Reserva, Segura Viudas, Spain mousseux, $13.35, SAQ # 158493. Hint of lemons and hazelnuts, a bit of straw. While it may not have the finesse of many of the more expensive sparkling wines, it's a full-bodied and flavourful wine for a small price.

# 10357329. Two grapes known for their aromatics don't disappoint here. Floral, with notes of jasmine and loads of exotic fruits, including melon and lychee. A touch of sweetness on the end palate, but if you want an apéritif with some bite, this is it.

Meal white: Campo de Borja 2007, Seleccion Joven, Borsao, Spain white, $13.15, SAQ # 10856161. Small price for a big wine. Let this one warm up a bit, and the macabeo grapes will show you what they're capable of doing. Mouth-filling, creamy, floral with a hint of peach.

Meal red: Rioja 2004, Reserva, Ijalba, Spain red, $20.35, SAQ # 478743. Supple and very much on the fruit without getting overly ripe. Lots of fresh field berries mixed with oak-driven, sweeter spice. Give this an hour in the carafe before serving. Lots of depth and still very refreshing.

Apéritif: The Stump Jump 2007, McLaren Vale, Australia white, $16, SAQ # 10748400. Riesling, sauvignon blanc and some Rhône grapes - strange bedfellows, but this works remarkably well. Exotic fruits with a hint of lime. If you don't like whites that are overly acidic, this is wonderfully rich without being too heavy.

# 10760505. The three great white Rhône grapes done Aussie style. Very pretty aromatics - peaches and spiced honey, with a rich and juicy mouthfeel. Not overboard in the least. If you want a break from chardonnay, this is it.

# 10947732. A rich and spicy pinot noir that beautifully walks the line between New and Old World. Ripe cherry and other field berries, with just enough minerality to make it interesting. Some fine tannin gives it great length. One of the better price-value pinots I have tasted.

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